Batman and Superman as Indian Chiefs?

Reader Brianna sent over this image of Batman, in a headdress, punching what appears to be an Indian (POW!). She didn’t know the context, but a little googling this morning led me to this blog, with more images of Batman, plus other superheros, all dressed up in racial drag: (all images courtesy of Everyday is Like Wednesday)

That’s the cover of the issue that the first image came from. Then there’s Superman:

And Captain Marvel:

and even Rex the Wonder Dog:

Everyday is Like Wednesday offers a plot synopsis of the Batman comic, filling in the gaps to demonstrate just how Batman ended up dressed like a stereotypical Plains Chief. Definitely head over for a read. Here’s a screen shot of the comic:

(click to make it bigger and readable)

The main plot point is that Batman must disguise himself as an Indian in order to fight the bad guy. Awesome?

These were released in the 1950’s, so back at the height of Westerns and an American fascination with Cowboys and Indians, so I’m not surprised that the trend bled into the comic book realm. I’d love to see the full comics, I’m really curious to see the full portrayals of the Native people.